SHENZHEN, China, Jan. 24, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- From January 13 to 16, Dr. Huiming Li, Deputy General Manager of Kexing Biopharm New Drug Research Center, attended the 17th Biotech Showcase Conference in San Francisco and the Global Biopharma Symposium hosted by Jones Day & MSQ Ventures.
The Jones Day & MSQ Ventures Pre-JPM Symposium builds impactful partnerships for top leaders and investors in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical sectors, providing an opportunity to gain insight into the latest industry trends. The Biotech Showcase brings more than 400 selected global companies together, covering diverse fields such as innovative biopharmaceuticals, biotechnology platforms, digital health and diagnosis, attracting investors with more than USD 400 billion capital and active partners in the life science field.
On the first day of Biotech Showcase on January 13, Dr. Huiming Li introduced Kexing Biopharm's innovative antibody technology platform KX-BODY and fusion protein technology platform KX-FUSION, as well as a number of anti-tumor and autoimmune pipelines built upon the two platforms, especially the new antibody that is about to enter the clinical trial stage for the treatment of cancer cachexia by targeting GDF-15, an emerging target. Kexing Biopharm's GB18 (target: GDF-15) program is intended to treat cancer cachexia and cachexia caused by other chronic diseases such as heart failure. The GB18 molecule has a unique nanobody-Fc fusion structure (VHH-Fc), and the Company has completed the submission of an international patent portfolio. In the preclinical research stage, GB18 has shown potent efficacy in a number of cancer cachexia models in mice, including HT1080 (human fibrosarcoma), Renca (mouse kidney tumor) and MC38-hGDF15 overexpression (mouse colon cancer) and chemotherapy-induced cachexia model by cisplatin, as well as MCT-induced heart failure model in rats. In addition to significant increase in body weight, muscle and fat weight, cachectic mice treated with GB18 also show pronounced improvement in motor function. According to the preclinical PK data, the clinical dosing frequency is predicted to be once per 3-4 weeks. In terms of CMC, GB18 shows good stability, and an expression yield of more than 10.0 g/L, and ultra-high solubility (more than 200 mg/mL), supporting the development of subcutaneous injections. At present, its 6-month stability data is favorable based on analysis of samples from two GMP batches at a scale of 200 L. As to the toxicology, the 13-week repeated dose toxicity studies of GB18 have been completed in rats and cynomolgus monkeys. No significant toxic reactions were observed in the two animal species, and the NOAELs were at a high dose. We believe that in the near future, this anti-GDF15 antibody will play an important role in improving the quality of life and restoring health for patients with cancer or other chronic diseases.
After the conference, Dr. Huiming Li interacted with a number of well-known pharmaceutical companies and investment institutions, introducing the Company's pipeline, such as GB05 "Human Interferon α1b Inhalation Solution", GB18 for tumor cachexia (target: GDF-15), GB12 for atopic dermatitis (target: IL-4R/IL-31R), GB19 for lupus erythematosus (target: BDCA2), and GB24 (TL1A bispecific-antibody) for inflammatory bowel disease. Among them, GB12, GB18 and GB24 have received much attention. For GB24, one of its targets is TL1A, a popular target in the field of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that has seen several major transactions recently. In addition to TL1A, GB24 also targets another emerging pathway in IBD that has strong synergistic effects with TL1A in terms of function and mechanism of action, and may help to improve IBD treatment in a profound way. GB24 could be a high-quality innovative asset of Kexing Biopharm among its innovative pipelines.
At this Conference, the rising influence of Chinese innovation in biopharma has become an undeniable trend. Pipelines of drugs invented in China have attracted investment from MNCs and venture capital, leading to multiple cross-border licensing deals in the past year. High quality and innovative science, cost-benefit and speed are among the major contributing factors. It is evident that the innovation ability of Chinese biotechs has been gradually recognized, and this will trigger an uptick in global collaboration in the biopharma industry.
Adhering to the platform-based development strategy of "innovation + internationalization", Kexing Biopharm has accelerated its R&D and innovation since it was listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange STAR Market, transforming its pipeline portfolio from modified drugs to innovative new drugs. With the advancement of various projects in antiviral, antitumor, and autoimmune research, there is hope to address more clinical gaps.